Subject: Tim O'Brien's-The Things They Carried
             For young people, the Vietnam War is a thing of the past and they can
             only learn about it from second hand sources. In Tim O'brien's The
             Things They Carried, it becomes very apparent that the Vietnam
             conflict has proved to be one that many of the participants have not
             been able move away from, while getting on with their lives. O²brien
             shows that the conflict takes on a parasitic form that eats away on
             its victims for the rest of their lives.
             A parasite is defined as an organism that grows, feeds, and is
             sheltered on or in a different organism while harming its host. The
             war in this case takes the place of the organism, and the host becomes
             the soldiers. There are several examples of the parasitic nature of
             war through out the book. In one particular section, Tim O'Brien
             returns to Vietnam with his daughter. Twenty years had gone by, but it
             seems as though all of his thoughts are geared back to the time he had
             spent in the jungle so long before. The two of them travel all over
             the country, but before their departure, he returns to the field where
             he feels he lost everything. On this list he includes his honor, his
             best friend, and all faith in himself. For O'Brien, evidence of the
             parasite is not solely in his return Vietnam, but rather a constant
             personal preoccupation that seems to flow through the collection of
             stories. O'Brien shows how the memories of the war take on a parasitic
             form, and uses himself as an example.
             In the chapter ³Speaking of Courage², O'Brien introduces a character
             by the name of Norman Bowker. In the story Norman finds him self home
             after serving his time in Vietnam. Even though he is back in his home
             town, things do not seem the same to him. The was seems to have put a
             new spin on his life. Most of the story he spends driving in circles
             while thinking about the war and his ...